Plot
An American nurse living and working in Tokyo is exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse, one that locks a person in a powerful rage before claiming their life and spreading to another victim.
Release Year: 2004
Rating: 5.7/10 (58,002 voted)
Critic's Score: 49/100
Director:
Takashi Shimizu
Stars: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, Clea DuVall
Storyline Karen Davis is an American Nurse moves to Tokyo and encounter a supernatural spirit who is vengeful and often possesses its victims. A series of horrifying and mysterious deaths start to occur, with the spirit passing its curse onto each victim. Karen must now find away to break this spell, before she becomes its next victim.
Writers: Stephen Susco, Takashi Shimizu
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar
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Karen
Jason Behr
-
Doug
William Mapother
-
Matthew
Clea DuVall
-
Jennifer
KaDee Strickland
-
Susan
Grace Zabriskie
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Emma
Bill Pullman
-
Peter
Rosa Blasi
-
Maria
Ted Raimi
-
Alex
Ryo Ishibashi
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Nakagawa
Yôko Maki
-
Yoko
Yuya Ozeki
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Toshio
Takako Fuji
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Kayako
Takashi Matsuyama
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Takeo
Hiroshi Matsunaga
-
Igarashi
Taglines:
Once you see it, you can never forget. Once it sees you, you can never escape.
Opening Weekend: $39,128,715
(USA)
(24 October 2004)
(3245 Screens)
Gross: $110,175,871
(USA)
(19 December 2004)
Technical Specs
Runtime:|
South Korea:
(uncut version)
|
Japan:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
The spooky popping sounds that accompany the appearance of the female ghost were made with a hair comb.
Goofs:
Continuity:
The message Susan leaves on the answering machine is a little bit different when Karen first hears it than when the detectives hear it again later in the movie, and when we actually see Susan leaving it.
Quotes:
[first lines]
Maria:
Good morning. Peter? Are you OK? You're up early today.
User Review
Creepier than having someone stare at you in a bathroom stall!
Rating:
According to The Grudge, there's a Japanese belief that when someone
dies in a powerful grip of rage, then a curse is left behind. It's a
"stain" that forever becomes a part of the place where the death
occurred, and it will kill everything it touches. All I can say is if
that were true then the movie-going public better hope I never die in a
theater. The audience at this movie was probably the most obnoxious
crowd I've ever had the displeasure of watching a movie with. Talk
about being in a powerful grip of rage. More on that later.
Jump scenes rule the day here. That's right, this baby is stocked with
jump scenes! If you're having a hard time deciphering my complicated
terminology, then let me explain that a "jump scene" is one in which
something startling happens to catch you off guard and makes you jump
in your seat. Some people think jump scenes are cheap ploys to get a
scare from the audience, but they're really well done in this movie.
And they're manufactured frequently and shrewdly enough to keep you in
a constant state of unease.
Unfortunately, when most moviegoers get scared they like to scream and
then laugh and talk about it for 2 minutes afterwards. If you're gonna
scream then scream. But then SHUT UP and WATCH THE MOVIE! This ain't a
comedy and it certainly isn't a coffeehouse, so quit killin' my
atmosphere.
Some of you might be a little agitated to know that The Grudge does
follow some clichéd horror movie conventions, such as a character
investigating a creepy noise in a dark attic with only a cigarette
lighter to illuminate the way. And of course, one character has to
slowly follow a strange figure that shouldn't be there in the first
place. But it's forgivable. Keep in mind, characters aren't necessarily
supposed to know they're in a horror movie. I'm sure we've all explored
strange noises before, except rather than a horrific, disfigured ghost
producing the noise, in real life the sound is usually coming from
Uncle Larry's bathroom excursion. Never underestimate the horror of a
night out at the Taco Bell.
Comparisons to The Ring are inevitable, so I'll just say that I
personally feel The Grudge is the creepier of the two. This is a movie
that's heavy on atmosphere and freaky imagery. The Japanese ghosts
creeped me out even more than the time I caught some pervert staring at
me in the men's bathroom stall back in my college days. Lucky for him,
he took off before I had a chance to demonstrate what happens when a
person is caught in a powerful grip of rage.
But The Ring has the better story and a much better ending. The Grudge
does a great job of keeping you guessing. You never really know where
it's going, and since the story isn't linear you really have to pay
attention. I know a lot of you have the attention span of a goldfish
(about 9 seconds, you just learned something today, thank me later), so
this may be problematic. I think it works fairly well, but one of my
complaints is that near the end everything is wrapped up and explained
rather quickly.
As a result, I wish the movie had been longer. A longer running time
could've produced more in-depth character development, a more clever
way to explain what was going on, and maybe even a better ending. And
there's my biggest complaint. Why do so many horror movies feel the
need to use the I Know What You Did Last Summer-esque "look, there's
gonna be a sequel" ending? Come on, how about some closure? It's
similar to if you're waiting for me to close out my review in a witty
and funny fashion, but instead, for some reason I just decide to end
the review in mid sent...
THE GIST
If you're looking for some Halloween entertainment, then The Grudge
will give you some good jumps and surround you with creepy imagery. But
I strongly recommend that you see it at a time when there won't be a
big crowd because I know I would've enjoyed the movie a lot more had I
not been surrounded by a lot of stand-up comedians who felt the need to
crack jokes at the most tense and inopportune times. Folks, this is a
horror movie. Tension and atmosphere are a big part of it, so please
keep your laughing and talking to a minimum. I look forward to watching
the DVD in peace and quiet one day where the only idiots I'll possibly
be surrounded by will be friends and family.
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